Juxtaposition
by Sakura Sayuki Fuyama
Summary: She said it. And they were now even further up from earth, but still closer to it than the others would ever be.


A/N: First of all, hello, and secondly, I hate myself. I don't really understand how I can forget that I have 3 half-written stories that I should finish. I was going to just post this story so I could get started on the sequel but after some thought, I changed the _whole fucking thing_. Basically I love to torment myself. I also found out that I'm great at writing the earlier parts of a story, but really suck at finishing them. _Really_ suck. Enough talking, on to the story.

 **P.S. Can anyone enlighten this soul on how to find a beta? Or be willing to be my beta? I have no clue how to find one and in need of one desperately, more for plot and character development rather than grammatical errors.**

◆ Juxtaposition ◆

 _The thing about juxtaposition, is that it itself cannot comprehend what is juxtaposition._

Juxtaposition (jux-ta-po-si-tion) _noun:_

1\. The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.

2\. Comparison or contrast through being in close proximity

"Do you think that the fundamental of our relationship is unusual?"

The sudden, and undeniably unusual, question tickled her ears and brought her from the edge of lulling into a wondrous nap. She stretched her neck to stare at the Uchiha laying beside her in a small clearing they found at the outskirts of Konoha's forest.

His curly locks that were directly inherited from Uchiha Kagami brushed the tips of his long lashes. His eyes looked so far away, like blank ebony gems. She tried deciphering his features, as if it withheld all the answers to him, answers to all her curiosities about him.

"Hm, how so specifically?" Slowly lifting and turning herself around, she positioned herself so that her body weight rested on her elbows, getting a better look at the male beside her.

Staring into the cloudy azure sky for a few seconds, he finally blinked, finally allowing himself to be pulled back to reality by gravity. He turned his head to her, a completely neutral expression on his chiseled face, "I'm referring to the fact that the last Haruno is interacting with an Uchiha that is not Itachi." finishing his elaboration, he stared at her expectantly, eyes boring into her.

Staring at him with icy cold turquoise eyes, she regarded the neutrality of his expression and the emptiness of his eyes. In the times meeting him, she had learned to associate the rather pitiful emptiness of the Uchiha as his true self, or as true as he would ever allowed himself to be. She had seen him around Itachi before, him being visibly more mature and cheerfully quiet in a way only he could do. She had thought that he would be the most comfortable around Itachi but soon came to realise that it appeared to be false after their subsequent meetings. The first few were filled with forced laughs that sounded like glass scratching together and exaggerated smile lines that looked as if someone had carved them into his cheeks.

She decided one of the few things she hated in life the most was the smile that Shisui wore.

 ** _But she liked it in an indescribable way, maybe it was the fact that it was the only time she ever got to see him smile._**

Closing her lids, she conceded and sighed, "I suppose that is true." Silence blanketed them, a one filled with tension and a million questions.

"What would you define... us, then?" With green fire in her eyes, she stared at him, trying desperately not to hope that he would answer her inquiry.

 _Blink_

"That is a rather interesting question, I'm not sure of that yet. How about you?". He turned his head to the side to assess her facial features. Soft face, pointed nose and full lips, adorned with those bewitching turqouise eyes that beckoned anybody to come, sparked interest in unsavoury company.

She knew he was avoiding the question and testing her of some sort —he did it often, she had assumed it was his way of getting to know her. She knew that he knew that she had seen through his facade. Things between them were unspoken, she did not want them to be unspoken, he did. To her, it felt as though he was scared as to what would happen? What would they be? What would he be?

She did not know honestly. And neither did he.

But she knew.

Deciding to get it over with, she thought it over for a bit. Choosing her answer carefully and suddenly, it hit her.

"Juxtaposition."

"Huh?"

Came his unintelligent response, he probably did not expect her to answer, thinking she would back down again. Whenever she asked him questions, he would be vague. And the answer that would destroy the wall between them and unleash a new world, she did not say. She could not. As a shinobi, she did not like unknown variables, unknown posibilites. When one encountered a wild card, they knew of various possibilities that would happen. Out of the variety, a select few would be the ones that would most likely occur. However, with Shisui, there were already very little possibilities and all somehow seemed... terrifying.

 _Scared._

She was scared.

Scared of what would happen if she answered. Scared of whether the dam would break. Scared of so many things, how would he react, what would he say, what she would say. She was slowly becoming attached, and she enjoyed his company and opinions, she did not want it to end there. But in truth, she was scared of what he would do after. Would he avoid her? Hate her? Somehow, all the consequences seemed negative, she knew it could be different. And the fact that she knew, let her take a leap of faith and choose to answer.

 ** _She was scared. Yet she was brave._**

She wanted to know him. Not Uchiha Shisui, not Shunshin no Shisui, not the Uchiha clan's heir, not one of the greatest prodigies of Konoha. Just Shisui. He always left it to her to choose to break the wall, because he knew that she was aware of the possibilities and did not want to risk it. He did not want her to answer, he wanted to hide still. It was unfortunate that she was not going to let him hide anymore.

 ** _He once told her he hated hiding, hiding from the unknown. He loved hiding._**

"Yes, a juxtaposition. The contrast of two things due to their proximity."

"So, we're a juxtaposition?"

"Yes, a juxtaposition."

"Define juxtaposition again,"

"Two things placed in close proximity to create contrast,"

She knew he knew what it meant but relented. After her answer, that was when she saw him finally process her words and gave her that awfully _fake_ smile that never failed to make her internally squirm.

"Hn, okay." His voice carried a cheerful tone, as if he was happy that she labeled their relationship to be a juxtaposition. But she was a shinobi, a sharp one at that, and saw through the feigned tone. His voice was still, no emotion present. It was one where the people in the line of their career used when they shut down, distancing themselves, closing themselves off from the world. She had finally found the courage to knock down his walls, she was not going to let it stop there. She was a woman of action, and he was obviously not responding to her regardless of her words. So, she did the only thing she could think of in her mild irrational state, to tear open the door he locked and reach out to him.

So she slapped him.

A rustle of clothing was all Shisui heard when he suddenly felt the stinging sensation of pain, followed by the rush of blood towards his cheeks, inflaming and becoming red. He blinked, not suspecting the unpredictable move. He had always thought that Sakura was a respectful individual, giving one space and never using violence against another unless necessary. Thus, he was rather bewildered that she struck him, his mind started to try and piece together on why she had slapped him when a shadow was cast upon his face and torso.

Sakura was on top of him from her side. Using her hands to support herself so she could see his face whilst he was lying down, her hair created a pastel curtain around her head and his, allowing specks of sunlight to peek through. She opened her mouth and said,

 _"I hate that."_

Obsidian orbs were wide and his mouth was slightly parted, unable to respond. His face depicted pure unadulterated shock and was similar to one a curious child would give when they discovered something wondrous and unimaginable. Shisui recomposed himself quickly and looked down, a shadow casting over his eyes, contemplating. After a brief moment of silence, he tilted his head back up and smiled.

It barely registered in her mind that he smiled. It was just the tiniest lift of the corner of his lips. She had only just met him, but she could tell it was a genuine smile. That smile which was so pitifully small, was the most gorgeous thing she had ever seen. She was sure of it, the jet black of his eyes seemed to shine a bit more brightly, akin to melanite gemstones. She could feel the prickles of the wind on her skin and the gentle warmth of the sun splashing on their forms. The suddenly dull world had a splash of colour, albeit small, but it was promising.

His smile held something, something they both had never experienced and it was enthralling. He raised his hand languidly and pressed the hollow of his palm to the soft curve of her face and smirked.

 _"Well, you've got me now, tenshi."_

 _And in that moment, their lustreless world lit up. Decorated and speckled with colour. They were more vibrant, their eyes twinkled, skin glowed and hair shined. And in return, the remaining mundane parts of their world —the world— seemed even more sombre. The outside would never be able to compare, and never would they be able to reach them._

 ** _They were now even further up from earth, but still closer to it than the others would ever be._**

A/N: Anyways, don't count on it, but a sequel of this may come soon. It's not necessarily a sequel, but it does come after this story in the timeline. Plus, I hope someone notices that the bolded italics were actually juxtapositions themselves. The story was named juxtaposition, but had no actual element of juxtaposition, so I scarped up the ending and rewrote a good amount of the story. Prompts and reviews are very much appreciated!


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